Celtic Women International (CWI) is a world-wide non-profit membership organization dedicated to recognizing the contribution that Celtic women have made to the world. CWI honors these women by sharing their stories of success, which may inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

CWI was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 30, 1997. It has been granted 501(c)3 tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Department. CWI is governed by an elected Board of Directors.

In October, 1998, CWI offered its first multi-day international conference, featuring presenters representing all seven Celtic nations (Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales. For the next three years, the conference took place as an annual fall event in Milwaukee. The Board decided to rotate locations for the conference in order that more people could attend from other parts of the world. In October, 2002, the conference took place in New Orleans, Louisiana, and in 2003, the conference moved out of the United States to Toronto, Canada.

Following the Toronto conference, the Board of Directors decided to switch priorities from offering an annual conference to building local branches of Celtic Women International and supporting their efforts to offer programs on a local or regional basis. Their goal is to eventually offer annual conferences every two or three years, with local branches offering regional gatherings in between the conferences, and frequent activities on a local basis.

Local branches have their own officers, organize their own affairs, and plan their own events, operating within the rules and by-laws of Celtic Women International.